Cylinder liners are known in the art and are used in various internal combustion engines such as diesel engines. Generally, cylinder liners are inserted or cast into a bore of a cylinder block of an engine. Cylinder liners are typically adapted for receiving a piston with associated piston rings that move reciprocatingly within the cylinder liner. Accordingly, cylinder liners are subjected to great stresses such as heat and friction that may cause them to wear, crack and break.
However, it is important that cylinder liners provide high strength, high rigidity and high dimensional stability while also exhibiting desirable sliding characteristics with respect to any opponent sliding members such as piston rings. Known cylinder liners have been comprised of various materials such as cast iron and reinforced light metals. To reduce wearing, cracking and breakage, some liners have been coated with heat and wear resistant materials. Other liners have been heat treated by electrical induction devices, which surface hardens the portion of the liner that experiences piston wear or through hardened to provide strength and wear resistance. Yet other liners have been roll burnished, reinforced with various materials such as a ceramic matrix, or alloyed to produce a structure such as bainite or steadite to improve wear resistance.
However, the problems of wearing, cracking, and breaking of cylinder liners remain. Particularly, wherever there is a sharp corner transition from one surface of the liner to another, such as at the liner's flange to wall transition (e.g. a notch), breaking and cracking are common. Further, the materials and methods used to reduce wearing, cracking and breaking of cylinder liners are quite expensive.
Therefore, there is a need for a cylinder liner with improved wear, crack, and breakage resistance, and that can be manufactured cost-efficiently.